Betrayal
by ShayWhat
Summary: Raven has a decision to make.


Betrayal

By shaywhat

So, as usually happens, I'll read fan fiction for days on end in an attempt to be lazy and not have to write what the muses tell me to. In all of the Vesperia fiction out there I had not found one that dealt with the moment that I write below. Thus...my muse made me write. lol

Disclaimer: I do not own Vesperia at all. If I had a Raven nearby though...well. .

If, for whatever reason, you haven't beaten the game yet (or gotten roughly halfway thru) be ye warned: **Spoilers Ahead!**

Raven stood on the top step outside the Myorzo building they were all staying in and sighed. This was supposed to have been an easy mission. He never, in a million years, had thought that it would've been this hard.

_Ya don't HAVE ta do this, ol' man. Ya could just check on th' girl and bring her back to her friends._

As if hearing the traitorous thoughts his "heart" fluttered and seemed to tighten in his chest, reminding him that the only reason he was alive was because someone had played God and deemed that he should be.

_Damnit! I've died once before. It's not like I have any fear of death left in me, _he tried to reason with himself. _These are good kids trying t' fix things and make 'em right. You KNOW what Alexei is doin' is wrong!_

With a sigh the old spy straightened up and headed towards the main exit of the floating town. The girl was kind-hearted and would do anything to help a person. And that would be how he would get her. As the town's large door closed behind him, Raven made note of the dysfunctional blastia transports to his right and the pink-haired princess looking to the ground below on his left. Closing his eyes, the dark haired man started towards the girl in question.

"Good view?" he asked, causing the girl to jump and hastily brush at tears on her face.

"O-oh! Raven, you startled me."

"Sorry darlin'." Raven assumed a poise of nonchalance. "So, good view?" He wasn't going to ask what was wrong and what the tears were for. He knew. He was in the room with everyone else when they found out. He had known some of it already from Alexei, but not all of it. He just knew it was bad.

"Oh! Y-yes! It is quite lovely! The ocean and ground below looks so peaceful…"

Raven smiled at her, knowingly.

"Well princess, this old man hates ta break you from the view. But I have a favour to ask you. It seems we need the Don's apatheia somethin' fierce. So they've tasked this mule to go ask for it." Estelle studied his face, wondering what he was getting at.

"So…we're leaving soon?"

"Ah, no." _Time for some charm and lies._ "We thought it'd be easier if I went alone. They can do more research here and I can deal with Harry and Altosk. Not that anyone listens to Ol' Raven," he said laying a hand on his heart with a weary sigh. Estelle giggled slightly.

"That's not true! I listen. You seem to know a lot and we trust you." Raven grimaced internally. He found himself wishing she hadn't said that. It was going to make this even harder than it already was.

"Well I can't exactly take Ba'ul since that'll leave you young'uns without a way back until I got back. I happen to have this warp blastia though. I can plug it in ta one of those old transports and hop on down to th' surface." Raven started walking towards the machines and made note that Estelle was following him. He made a grand show of plugging in the core and making sure the formula was corrected before turning back to her. "I hate ta ask, truly, but there's not enough aer to make this work right now. I'd go get the ring from Yuri but…I figure you could charge it up. It shouldn't hurt the world that much and it'll be for the greater good in the long run. Yuri's scary and might harm this ol' man if I come back without the apatheia."

The girl flinched a being reminded of her power, but otherwise seemed contemplative.

"If you think it'll help…?"

"Estelle, darlin', you'd be a life saver." The girl nodded and stepped closer to the device, outstretching her hand. Raven stepped onto the pad and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Alright, ready when you are."

Estelle closed her eyes and concentrated on feeding the device the aer it needed to thrive. She felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her forward at the same instance she heard the machine activate and a soft whisper of "I'm so sorry" brush against her ears.

As soon as they materialized on in the deserts of Desier they were surrounded by the Commandant's personal Bishops who were, hurriedly, mouthing the immobilization spells and applying them to Estelle before she could even realize what had happened. He watched as she was encased in a floating bubble, seal formulas wavering on the surface. In the background stood Alexei, laughing.

"Ah, princess. So glad you could join me."

"A-Alexei?! But…but why? Why are you doing this?!"

"Control Princess. And you are my key to that. Thank you…Captain Schwann."

"Commandant."

The girl turned to face him, shock and tears on her face.

"R-Raven? Raven why?"

"Raven? Ah, yes." The Commandant smiled. "You mean our Captain Schwann. He is quite the double agent. And, like all tools, has performed admirably." The Commandant turned to regard his captain. "You are dismissed Captain. See that you get out of that ridiculous costume."

The man known as Raven, now Schwann, nodded once and saluted then turned on his heel to leave. He grimaced when he heard the terrified girl crying out in pain. All he could hope for was that when the kids came, _and they WILL come,_ that they would be able to destroy the infernal blastia that kept him alive. He felt, no, he KNEW that would be the only way he could atone for his betrayal this day.


End file.
